The low point for Luol Deng came in the spring of 2009. Sidelined with a stress fracture in his right leg, he got ripped by those who questioned the severity of the injury.

"Sitting there and reading everything in the papers and from the fans … that was the craziest thing I've ever had to go through," Deng said Friday. "Before that, I kind of felt like I was loved by everyone. I had never experienced that — if you want to call it hate, or whatever it was. (But) I think it really helped me to bounce back, knowing how things work."

Deng has bounced back to the point of being selected as an Eastern Conference reserve for the Feb. 26 All-Star Game in Orlando, Fla. It's his first nod in eight seasons. Deng called it "a great honor."

"I want to go around and thank all my teammates because I believe I'm getting the opportunity because of the record we have," he said.

Winning the only thing: At 23-6, the Bulls have the NBA's best record. So it figured they would have a player join Derrick Rose on the All-Star team.